Heartbreak Always Comes with Tears
by megsy598
Summary: Charlie Weasley has always been close to his brothers, but in particular, Fred. But after he admits an embarrassing secret to his brother, and the wizarding war confuses everything, how will Charlie go on? (Cute Fred/Charlie one-shot)


_At Bill and Fleur's wedding…_

Fred can't help but glance across the room, seeing the swarm of red heads on the other side of the tent and spying one in particular who catches his eye. He looks away quickly, not wanting to hold his gaze for too long - if he sees those eyes he knows he might never look away.

He knows full well that the burning on the back of his neck is made by those eyes. Those hazel eyes that he never really noticed until six months ago. But now he frowns at even the thought of them, along with the familiar face that comes with them.

His older brother, Charlie has returned home from Romania, partly for Bill and Fleur's wedding but also, as he is explaining to the family, to help fight in the coming war. But for now, no one is worried about You-know-who. They all have their reasons for momentarily wanting to forget, but Fred honestly has enough on his mind today without worrying about an evil villain who plots to kill them all.

Their mum is fussing over her second eldest son, insisting that they forget about everything for a moment and just enjoy the beautiful wedding. Mum has always been fussy and constantly worried about her large brood. But Fred understands her concern and relief at seeing Charlie, since none of them have spoken to him since last Christmas, other than in letters.

But not Fred. Fred didn't send a single letter, not even when his twin brother questioned him on the grudge that had suddenly formed for Charlie. But Fred refused to budge, because his older brother had done something unforgivable the last time they spoke. Something unspeakable, that Fred couldn't for the life of him understand.

Charlie had pulled him away on New Year's Eve, up the crooked stairs of the Burrow and out of the handsome family festivities. Charlie hadn't said much about what he was doing, and George had sent his twin a questioning look as their older brother dragged Fred away. But Fred sent back a shrug, just as confused as to what Charlie wanted. It was probably just that he was worried about Fred and George's new business, as everyone was - apparently it wasn't a "stable job".

But as it turned out, Fred couldn't have guessed his brother's true concerns, as they were not nearly as mundane as he'd imagined.

"Oi! Don't rip this jumper, Charlie!" Fred yelled jokingly. "Mum made it especially." But when he looked up and saw the way his brother searched his eyes – with a knotted brow and a persistent frown – Fred immediately turned on his serious switch, which had been left dormant and dusty for as long as he could remember.

"What's up, Charlie?" he asked, concerned when he replied with a grimace.

"Fred, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," he said, avoiding Fred's gaze.

"Did you bring me a pet dragon?"

"What? No." Charlie sighed. "I'm not sure how to explain this but… I love you."

Fred stared blankly at his older brother. "Ok," he said. "Yeah, I love you too – you're my brother. Is that really all you wanted? Don't get me wrong, I mean –"

"No, Fred," Charlie interrupted, suddenly looking ten times as worried. "I don't think you understand what I mean. I'm _in love_ with you, Fred."

Fred frowned for a second, looking sceptically into the hazel eyes that were ahead of him. His eyes narrowed, suspicious. After a second, he burst out laughing. "That's a good one," he chuckled. "Nice joke – did George put you up to this?" Fred continued laughing until he looked up and stopped abruptly, shocked by the look on Charlie's face. Surely he should have been laughing, right? So why did he look as if he was about to cry?

"You are kidding, aren't you?" Fred asked tentatively, willing Charlie to crack a smile and laugh along with him. But no such thing happened, and a bubbling panic rose in Fred's chest. "Are you serious, Charlie?"

All he needed was a slight nod from his brother for his eyes to pop out of their sockets and a frenzy of confusion to explode inside him. "What the hell?!" was the first thing he heard escaping from his mouth, tumbling out along with a bunch of shocked, almost angry, comments.

"What do you mean you're in _love _with me?! What does that even mean? You realise that I'm your _brother_!" Charlie tried to speak over him but Fred refused to listen. "What sort of mixed up, perverted freak are you?!"

Fred kept rambling and he could hear his voice rising higher and higher. He didn't exactly want everyone to hear what he was shouting, but he would definitely be grateful to anyone who would save him from this nightmarish scene. Charlie just stood and seemed to be in complete panic, trying to get his brother to calm down.

But just then, as they both heard the clock strike midnight, Charlie lunged forward in a desperate attempt to shut Fred up. His lips collided with Fred's and the younger brother froze on the spot, unsure of how he should react. He had a girlfriend after all, and Charlie was his _brother_ – every cell in his body screamed that this was gross.

So he squirmed away a second later, scrambling back downstairs and putting up with the weird looks and concerned questions from his family. He avoided Charlie from then on, acting as if his brother didn't exist even when he tried to catch his attention. Every pleading letter from Charlie was shredded to pieces right away.

And now Fred can't get the taste of his brother's lips out of his head and it annoys him. He knows that Charlie will want to pull him aside and explain himself, but Fred doesn't want any explanations. It was pretty clear what Charlie had meant and Fred doesn't want to be forced to look into those suggestive hazel eyes yet again.

"Hey, Fred," he hears from behind him, his twin brother George tapping his shoulder with a concerned expression. "Aren't you gonna say hello to Charlie? He's back from Romania."

"I know," Fred says, unsure of how to refuse without alerting suspicion. "I'm Ok, thanks. We're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment."

"You're not gonna have a giant hissy fit for the rest of the day, are ya? Can't you sort it out, whatever it is?"

"No." Fred knew that look on his twins face, the lack of joking and worried tone. "Not today. I don't wanna ruin the wedding."

"OK then," George says, raising his hands in defeat and walking off, probably to go and tell their mum that Fred is in a strop. Fred just hopes that Charlie will get the message that Fred doesn't want to talk to him.

But Charlie never gets a chance - because that's when the Death Eaters arrive.

_Two months after the war…_

As he stands over the stone grave of his brother, Charlie feels a silent tear tumble down his cheek. He doesn't put up a hand to stop it, as he did with the rest, but just allows it to slide over his skin and slip over the edge of his chin, plummeting to the ground below. Charlie hopes that it will leave a visible scar on his face. Maybe it will match the scar that he can feel scraped across his heart as the organ pumps, although he can't fathom how it is still pumping after the heartbreak he faces.

Fred is dead.

It look him weeks to be able to even think it, let alone say it. Not that he would mention such a thing in front of anyone, especially not his family. But sometimes he wakes in the morning and can't quite believe it, finding himself staring at his expression in the mirror and reciting those three, awful words to himself.

Charlie stares at the ground and wonders. He told Fred about his feelings ages ago, and although the only reaction he had gotten was anger and disgust, the emotions refused to cease or even die down. He realises that he loved Fred in two ways, really. When the twins had been born, Charlie had been six years old and, following the example of how protective Bill had always been over Percy, Charlie had taken it into his own hands to be the same sort of role model to Fred and George. Somehow, he'd always felt a stronger connection to Fred. Initially in a brotherly way, protective and supportive, the only way he should have really felt. But over time he had realised that it was more than that. He loved Fred in a much deeper way, and the more he tried to ignore and suppress the feelings, the more they grew, until he couldn't bare it anymore. The first chance he was given, he'd ran off to Romania, not just to work with dragons as he'd always dreamed, but also to escape his misplaced emotions, thinking maybe if he got further away that they might leave. But they had remained just the same, and he'd blurted them out that New Year and stole a kiss from his brother at midnight. It had been the craziest and most stupid thing he'd ever done and yet he never regretted it. At least Fred died knowing of Charlie's true feelings, even if he didn't understand them completely.

George stands beside him at the grave, staring in the exact same way, with similar tears staining his cheeks. But Charlie assumes that the twin isn't thinking the same thoughts as he is. George had always seemed to be Fred's other half, the mirror that hung around next to him rather than his own person entirely. Well, Charlie always knew that George was a person - of course he did. But it was strange living with identical twins. They sometimes seemed like the same person, but Charlie could tell just by looking which was Fred. The slightly darker shade of hair, the slightly more confident stance and always standing just an inch or two ahead. Fred always led and left George to follow; always Fred and George, but never George and Fred. Charlie wonders how that makes George feel now that his other half is gone. Does he feel alone, deserted and isolated? Or does he feel free, as if he's escaped from a pair of handcuffs tying him to another person?

Whichever it is, Charlie decides in that moment, he will help his brother. Whether he wants comfort or advice, Charlie will be the one to give it to George and will stand by him the way an older brother is meant to - he's not going back to Romania, that's for sure. Fred would have wanted his twin to live on and not let death drag him back, although whether he would want Charlie to help out is debatable. But somewhere in Charlie's heart, he feels that maybe Fred does want that. He senses the tug of anger let go and release him, making him feel as if he's so light he could walk on clouds.

"I love you, Fred," he whispers into the cold wind, before turning to George and allowing his little brother to drop his head to his shoulder and begin to weep, just as Charlie feels he is inside.


End file.
